


A Man Delivers, A Father Provides

by kenjideath



Series: A Father Provides [2]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Age Play, Community: wrestlingkink, Desperation, Discussion of Bad BDSM Etiquette, Hand Feeding, Infantilism, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Nonsexual roleplay, Roleplay, Watersports, Wetting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 22:13:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4852442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenjideath/pseuds/kenjideath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the things that annoyed Kevin the most about allying with the authority was that, bizarrely, Seth wasn’t bad company. Even worse, he was a goddamn mess with terrible taste in Doms and, well, Kevin had certain paternal instincts that were hard to repress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Man Delivers, A Father Provides

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the kink meme here:
> 
> http://wrestlingkink.dreamwidth.org/279.html?thread=347159#cmt347159

One of the things that annoyed Kevin the most about allying with the authority was that, bizarrely, Seth wasn’t bad company.

Seth was always ready to talk shit about other wrestlers, which was one of Kevin’s favorite pastimes, and when that well ran dry he wasn’t half bad at talking about wrestling, either. For all that he looked like each one of his abs had been individually sculpted out of marble, he really did believe that training for movement was the way of the future and bodybuilding was a relic of the past. The fact that he never gave Kevin shit for his physique almost made up for his incessant nattering about Crossfit. Plus, Seth was a cowardly traitor, so there was none of that awkward tension about whether or not they would betray each other. They both knew that they would turn on each other the second it was convenient, so for now they could just relax until Kevin was in a position to challenge for one of Seth’s titles.

The only real downside to hanging out with Seth was that he was a goddamn mess. He paid almost no attention to his diet, preferring instead to “make up the difference” by pushing himself harder at his next workout. Crossfit was the only thing in his life he seemed to actually enjoy, to the point where he regularly chose it over sleep, when he didn’t have time to do both. He had an amazing skill at making the absolute worst personal decisions in any given situation.

Most notably, once, when Kevin had gone to talk to Triple H about something in his office, he’d walked in to find Seth on his knees, sucking Hunter off under the desk. Seth had been flushed and dreamy-eyed and clearly deep in subspace. Hunter just carried on his conversation with Kevin as if Seth’s wasn’t even there.

Kevin had figured that this was a test for him, since Seth was too out of it to have any kind of normal reaction, so Kevin had decided to rise to the challenge by leaning over and petting Seth’s hair.

“You alright in there, buddy?” Kevin had asked, because he respected the hell out of Hunter, but there was no doubt in his mind that choosing him as a Dom was a Hall of Fame level bad idea, even for Seth.

Seth popped off Hunter’s dick to nuzzle at Kevin’s hand and hum happily, which mollified Kevin as much as it irritated Hunter. Kevin strolled out with Hunter dragging Seth’s mouth back where he wanted it, and Seth was awkward around Kevin for a few days afterward, confirming Kevin’s hunch that Hunter hadn’t asked for Seth’s consent to add observers to their scene.

It just left a bad taste in Kevin’s mouth. Seth so clearly needed someone to step in and take care of him. Kevin didn’t know what Hunter was thinking, letting his sub run roughshod over his own life like this.

\---

Kevin was in the Authority’s private dressing room, unwinding from his match, when Seth burst in, still soaked with sweat from tearing up the main event. Seth was breathing so hard his pecs were heaving, clearly not cooled down yet, but he strode right across the room to grab an ice-cold water bottle out of the fridge and started to chug it. Without thinking about it, Kevin got up and grabbed the water bottle straight out of his mouth.

Seth sputtered, water dripping down his face and onto his chest. “What the fuck! I was drinking that,” he exclaimed.

“You’ll make yourself sick,” Kevin said. He set the water bottle on the coffee table and grabbed a room temperature one straight from the case on the floor instead.

“I’m _thirsty_ ,” Seth whined.

Kevin rolled his eyes and dropped down heavily on the couch. “Get over here,” he ordered.

Seth looked more than a little hesitant, but he was good at following orders, especially when he was tired, so he came anyway. Kevin caught Seth’s wrist and tugged him down, arranging the taller man so he was sitting in Kevin’s lap with his legs dangling to the floor, one hand perched awkwardly on Kevin’s shoulder.

“This is weird,” Seth said, but he didn’t try to get up or resist, so Kevin ignored him.

Kevin unscrewed the water bottle, then shifted position, moving one hand behind Seth’s head to support his neck. He moved the bottle to Seth’s lips. “Drink,” he ordered.

Seth’s eyes were flickering nervously from Kevin to the bottle and back again, but he started swallowing easily enough when Kevin tipped the bottle gently, letting a slow stream of water into his mouth.

Of course, within a couple seconds Seth was squirming around, trying to drink faster, so Kevin took the bottle away again. “Stay still,” he said.

Seth pouted. “It tastes better cold,” he said.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “This way is easier on your stomach,” he said. “Now take what I give you and stop complaining.”

Seth didn’t look any happier, but he did relax and let Kevin control the pace of the water. Soon, Seth’s eyes drifted half-shut as he swallowed at the slow rate Kevin allowed. Kevin rubbed the back of his neck to help him along to that peaceful place in his head. 

“That’s it,” Kevin said, “Take your bottle like a good boy,” and Kevin could see the moment that Seth got it. His eyes flew open and he went instantly tense under Kevin’s hands. 

Kevin just gave his neck a firm squeeze and said, “Don’t stop swallowing or you’ll choke.” Seth’s throat started working again, obedient and sweet.

When Seth finished the bottle, Kevin shifted him again. Seth was still a little tense and clearly confused, but he let Kevin maneuver him until his head was resting on Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin gave him a few firm slaps on the back. Seth let out a little gasp but didn’t burp. Kevin pulled Seth back so he could look at him. 

“No gas today?” he asked. “I must not be feeding you enough.” Kevin could see Seth flushing bright red under his beard. Kevin rubbed Seth’s wrist soothingly. Just a little more.

“You made such a mess of yourself!” Kevin exclaimed. He grabbed one of the ugly John Cena parody shirts they had whipped up for Seth from one of the piles that were perpetually hanging around and used it to dab at the water on Seth’s face. “You shouldn’t fuss so much. Just take your bottle the way it’s given to you.”

Seth looked conflicted and maybe a bit confused, but he waited for Kevin to finish cleaning him up before he awkwardly eased himself off Kevin’s lap.

“I, uh.” Seth cleared his throat. “I better see if Triple H wants to go over anything before the taping tomorrow.” He wasn’t quite meeting Kevin’s eye, but he wasn’t staring straight at the floor either. 

“Don’t want to keep the boss waiting,” Kevin said, keeping his tone light.

Seth nodded, cheeks still flaming red, and practically ran out the door.

Kevin was willing to call the experiment a success.

\---

Hunter was in the habit was giving them rewards when they performed particularly well. Kevin usually asked for money, or for some piece of memorabilia that Owen wanted. He’d even, once, asked for and received a full set of child-size John Cena clothing, every piece signed by the man himself, from t-shirt to headband, a gift that Kevin certainly hoped Owen appreciated considering that it had _killed his soul_ to get it for him.

Kevin knew that Seth mostly asked for scenes, for Hunter to use him and tell him what a good boy he’d been. It was certainly a good system for Hunter – if anyone could get off purely on someone asking for the privilege of sucking his cock, it was Hunter – but Kevin looked at every opportunity as a chance to provide for his family.

 But what the hell, Kevin decided, the next time Hunter called him into his office and told him to ask for whatever he wanted, he could justify the occasional treat for himself, right? 

“I want Seth,” Kevin said. Hunter looked surprised and not particularly pleased by this news. “Just for one day,” Kevin qualified.

Hunter didn’t stop frowning, but all he said was, “You know to return him in the same condition you received him, correct?” 

Kevin snorted. “Sure, Dad,” he said. “I’ll fill up the tank before I bring the keys back.” 

Hunter didn’t find that very funny. “See that you do,” he said. 

\--- 

Predictably, Seth was bitchy and on edge when he showed up at Kevin’s room, but Kevin knew him well enough to have a pretty good idea of what was on his mind and head all of that off at the pass.

“You’re not being punished,” Kevin told him. “This isn’t going to affect your championship or your ranking or your status in the Authority or how Hunter sees you. This is just something we’re doing for fun.”

Seth blinked at him, then finished entering Kevin’s room and pulled the door shut behind him. “Okay,” he said, so clearly he had arrived prepared to be communicative.

Kevin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Just come sit down on the couch,” he said.

Seth nodded and started to walk to the couch, tugging his shirt off as he walked. “Stop,” Kevin said. Seth froze. “You don’t need to take your clothes off.” Seth slowly pulled his shirt back down and eased himself on the couch, eyeing Kevin the whole time like he had lost it. 

All things considered, Kevin decided to make the negotiation as quick as possible. “What’s your safe word?” he asked.

In spite of his good intentions, it seemed like Seth was going to continue to be difficult. “My safe word?” he asked.

“What do you say when you want Hunter to knock something off during a scene?” Kevin thought it was a pretty good explanation, but Seth didn’t look anymore enlightened.

“Hunter can do whatever he wants to me,” Seth said, which Kevin liked _not at all_.

“Okay, let’s leave that very worrying fact aside for now,” Kevin said. “With me, you’re going to have a safe word. Pick something you’ll remember but don’t usually say.”

“Uh,” Seth said, clearly still not getting it, “Yorkie.”

Ugh. “Fine, but don’t think I don’t know why you picked that,” Kevin said. Seth gave him a shit-eating grin, so at least he was at something less than maximum tension.

“Do you have any hard limits?” Kevin asked, for form’s sake, but he wasn’t exactly surprised when Seth didn’t look familiar with that concept, either. “Okay, then I need you to promise me that you’ll use your safe word if you want to stop at any point. If you’re uncomfortable or just want to talk.” Then, to raise the chances of Seth actually listening to him, he added, “If you don’t, you’ll be in trouble.” Seth pouted. Kevin ignored him in favor of heading toward the kitchenette. Seth was definitely more of a hands-on learner, anyway, so they might as well get this scene underway. “For me, I don’t want to be called anything like Dad or Daddy. Other than that, just try to get in character.”

“In character for what?” Seth asked. Kevin produced a baby bottle filled with apple juice from the refrigerator.

Seth flushed dark red but didn’t try to feign surprise.

\---

Kevin had figured that this would be a good place to start, since Seth had some experience with it, plus it let him set things in motion for later in the day. It seemed to be working – Seth allowed himself to be coaxed into position on Kevin’s lap with a minimum of fuss and his obvious embarrassment just seemed to help push him into the right headspace. He buried his burning face into Kevin’s shoulder and had to be gently coaxed into latching onto the nipple. Kevin made sure to cradle the back of his head gently and feed him a steady stream of low encouragement along with his juice, and soon Seth was playing along. He kicked his feet lightly and batted at Kevin’s chest with half open hands.

Kevin burped him again after the bottle, and again Seth didn’t participate, but he did press is face into Kevin’s shoulder and take several deep, heaving breaths before going limp. 

Kevin rubbed his back in soothing circles. “You’re a good boy, finishing your juice so quick. You’re going to grow up big, aren’t you?” Seth mumbled in reply. Kevin let his hands drift down to Seth’s side – then abruptly started to tickle him.

Seth shrieked with laughter. He shoved one of Kevin’s hands away before remembering himself and pulling his hands back to swat at Kevin ineffectually. Kevin grinned and dumped Seth on the couch, straddling him to tickle him without mercy.

“Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” Kevin asked while Seth thrashed beneath him, overcome with giggles. “It’s youuuuuu,” he answered himself, and pulled Seth’s shirt up to blow a raspberry on his stomach.

Seth let out a high pitched sound that dissolved into more laughter. When Kevin moved back to look at his face, Seth was panting for breath and tearing up and grinning hugely.

“Wasn’t that fun?” Kevin asked. Seth nodded, enthusiastic and too hard. “Okay, don’t hurt yourself,” Kevin said. “I’ve got some more fun stuff for us to do. Do you like to color?”

Seth did, indeed, like to color. Kevin sat him down cross-legged at the coffee table and set him up with a brand new Crayola 64 pack and a Batman coloring book, both of which caused Seth unbelievable excitement.

“You really like to color, huh?” Kevin asked, watching Seth go to town on the batmobile with a black crayon.

Seth nodded so hard it looked like his head might fall off. “I’ve really good at it,” he proclaimed. “I stay inside the lines real good.” Kevin was surprised. He’d gathered that, in sharp contrast to his usual personality, Seth didn’t really like to talk during scenes.

“Wow! You know, there might be a present waiting for a super good colorer like that,” Kevin teased. Seth’s head shot up like a bullet, eyes wide and eager. Kevin laughed and gave him a little boop on the nose. “Go on, show me what a great job you can do,” he said. Seth bore down on the coloring book like it was a set of kip ups, or whatever sadistic workout he was doing this week.

Kevin heaved himself up and headed for the kitchenette. He pulled the bright yellow sippy cup out of the drawer he had put it in and filled it with apple juice, making sure to snap the lip on tight. Then he ambled back over to Seth. Kevin could tell that the coloring was doing its job, the repetitive motion and focus luring Seth into the right mindset to enjoy what Kevin had planned. Kevin grinned and crouched down next to him.

“Hey, buddy,” he said. “Having fun?”

Seth nodded in too-wide arcs, not pulling his eyes away from his book.

“I’ve got a treat for you,” Kevin offered. _That_ got Seth’s attention. “You’re getting really good at taking your bottle,” Kevin said. “I think you might be ready to use a cup like a big boy.” Kevin produced the sippy cup from behind his back, relishing the way that Seth’s eyes lit up.

Seth made grabby hands at the cup, but Kevin didn’t let him have it immediately. “Whoa there, buddy,” he said. “This is a big responsibility I’m trusting you with. You have to be careful not to spill or make a mess of yourself, okay?” 

Seth puffed up with pride. “I can do it!” he said. “I won’t spill at all!”

Kevin laughed and gave him the cup, reaching over to ruffle Seth’s hair with his free hand. Seth fell on the cup like he hadn’t had a drink in years, cradling it in his hands like it was the most precious gift he’d ever received.

Kevin pressed a brief kiss to Seth’s hair. “You keep playing, buddy. I’m going to get lunch together.”

“’Kay,” Seth said, muffled around the plastic he’d already stuffed in his mouth. Kevin gave his hair one last ruffle and headed back to the kitchenette.

\---

Lunch was macaroni with cut up hot dogs in it, which Seth was only too happy to eat off of Kevin’s fork, and steamed broccoli, which Seth wanted no part of.

“No, no, no!” Seth insisted, twisting his head away from the offending vegetable.

Kevin held the broccoli-loaded fork steady. “Just take one little bite,” he coaxed. “You want to grow up big and strong, don’t you?”

Seth pressed his lips together tightly and shook his head so hard his hair whipped against his face.

Kevin slid a hand behind Seth’s neck to try and steady him. “C’mon, here comes the airplane,” he said, falling back on an old classic.

Seth was having none of it. “NO,” he shouted, and smacked the fork right out Kevin’s hand.

Kevin very carefully didn’t react to Seth’s tantrum. “We don’t hit, Seth,” he said, keeping his voice firm and calm.

Seth started slapping his hands on the table. “I don’t want it, want it, want it,” he wailed, punctuating each word by stomping on the floor.

“Seth, if you don’t stop acting out, I’m going to have to discipline you,” Kevin said. Seth just stomped harder. “Fine,” Kevin said. “You can have a time out in the corner until you’re ready to calm down.”

That seemed to shock Seth out of his tantrum. “Aren’t you going to – ” he started, but Kevin cut him off.

“Corner, now,” Kevin said. Seth still looked confused and hesitant, so Kevin reminded him of his out. “Little boys do as they’re told without asking questions,” he said. 

“Oh. Uh. Yorkie?” Seth said without much certainty.

Kevin relaxed his posture visibly to convey the change in dynamic. “Scene paused,” he said. “What do you want to talk about?”

Seth still looked unsure and maybe a little embarrassed. “Aren’t you going to, you know…” Kevin had a pretty good idea about where this was going, but made no effort to help Seth out. Seth started to turn red. “Spank me?” he finally managed to get out.

“Of course not!” Kevin said, pretending to be offended. “That would be child abuse. I don’t know what barbaric discipline you have in America, but I find that a time out usually does the trick.”

It didn’t seem like Seth knew what to make of that at all. “So, this is like.” Seth struggled to find the words. “Real, actual child roleplay?”

Ordinarily, Kevin would have mocked him for being so slow on the uptake, but that wouldn’t be conducive to building a relationship of trust between them. The things he sacrificed to be a quality Dom. “Yup,” was all he said.

“Oh,” Seth said. He still looked unsure. “So, if you’re not going to spank me, does that mean you’re not going to fuck me either?” 

“Nope,” Kevin said. When this news seemed to upset Seth even more, Kevin decided to go a little easier on him. “That’s not what I get out of this,” was all he said by way of explanation.

Oddly, Seth seemed to understand that. Or maybe not so oddly; from what Kevin knew about his relationship with Hunter, it seemed that Seth was more interested in being coddled and assured of his worth than necessarily having a dick in his mouth. In any case, Seth’s face relaxed and he no longer looked like he’d been dumped into a match without a plan against five opponents who didn’t speak English.

“Are we okay?” Kevin asked. “Any more questions or are you ready to go back under?”

“Under,” Seth said, visibly shifting himself into his more laconic submissive headspace.

“Scene back on,” Kevin said. Seth started stomping again almost immediately.

“You’re mean, you’re mean, you’re mean,” he chanted.

Kevin tried hard not to laugh. Any attention would just encourage this kind of behavior.

“Corner. _Now_ ,” Kevin said, in his firmest Dad voice.

Seth shoved himself away from the table and stormed to the corner, where he continued to express his frustration by pressing his hands hard against the wall to support himself while he stomped. 

Kevin ignored him and started cleaning up their lunch. He threw out the leftovers, except for Seth’s broccoli, which he covered and put in the refrigerator. Eventually, Seth seemed to wear himself out and knocked off the tantrum, just standing in the corner and fidgeting. Kevin had washed all the dishes and was wiping down the table when Seth burst out, “How long are you going to make me stand here?”

“I was just going to wait for you to calm down,” Kevin said, throwing out the wad of paper towels he’d used to clean the table, “but you decided to keep pushing me, so you’re getting the full twenty-nine minutes.” Seth probably didn’t know the rules about never giving a time out longer than one minute per a child’s age, but Kevin wasn’t really worried about that, especially then it seemed his long-term plan for the day was finally paying off. He’d noticed that Seth’s fidgeting didn’t seem to be just a symptom of boredom, judging by the way most of it consisted of him squeezing his thighs together.

Kevin went right back to ignoring Seth, settling on the couch to check his phone. He kept an eye out, of course, and Seth grew increasingly agitated as the minutes ticked by. Seth progressed from rocking back and forth to crossing his legs at the ankles and bouncing up and down in record time. Kevin guessed that, with all the new stimuli, Seth hadn’t noticed how many drinks Kevin had been giving him, and the resulting pressure on his bladder, until he was forced into inaction. 

Twenty-four minutes in, Seth let out a quiet whimper. Kevin set his phone down and wandered over at a leisurely pace, as if he’d only just noticed that something was wrong.

“Something wrong, buddy?” Kevin asked. Seth gave a jerky nod while staring at the floor, but didn’t answer. “Speak up, kiddo,” Kevin said. “You’ve gotta tell me what you need or I can’t help you.”

Seth whimpered again, a high pitched sound that eased off into a whine. Kevin placed a palm on Seth’s back and rubbed wide, soothing circles. 

“Need t’ go potty,” Seth mumbled. Kevin could barely hear him, but he wasn’t going to push it. Making him ask was the thing.

“Oh, do you need to make a tinkle?” Kevin asked.

Seth nodded again. Kevin could practically smell his humiliation.

Kevin stopped rubbing his back to give his neck a comforting squeeze. “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re getting really good at going like a big boy. I haven’t needed to get the diapers out in weeks.”

Seth’s eyes widened at the mention of diapers, which Kevin filed away for later. For now, he just used the hand on Seth’s neck to guide him to the bathroom. Seth was taking tiny, careful steps, trying not to jar his overfull bladder more than necessary. Kevin didn’t rush him, just let Seth take it at his own pace.

By the time they were standing in front of the toilet, Seth might have been tearing up a little, so at first, Kevin didn’t understand why Seth jerked back when Kevin went for his belt.

“Calm down, buddy,” Kevin said. “I’m going to help you get your pants down, and then I’ll show you how to aim, okay?”

“I c’n,” Seth stopped, cleared his throat. “I can do it myself.”

Kevin laughed. “I’ve heard that before, but I really don’t feel like cleaning up today if you make a mess. Just let me help you, okay?”

Seth pulled himself out of Kevin’s hands. “No,” he insisted. “I can do it by myself.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Can you?” he asked. “Can you go potty by yourself like a big boy?”

Seth opened his mouth, looking ready to yell Kevin down – then stopped and just looked. Thoughtful.

“Well?” Kevin prompted. “Do you want to be a big boy or do you want me to take care of you?”

Seth sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, clearly thinking it over. Then he dropped his gaze again. “I want – want you to take care of me,” he said – admitted – finally.

Kevin reached out and squeezed Seth’s hand. “Do you want me to help you go potty?” he asked.

Seth took a deep breath, like he was fortifying himself. “No,” he said.

Kevin reached out to pet Seth’s head a little. He couldn’t say that he’d expected this, but this was as close of a pronouncement that Seth didn’t want to use his safeword as he was going to get.

“If you’re going to be disobedient and fight me, then you’re due for another time out,” Kevin said. “The full twenty-nine minutes, from the beginning.”

Seth sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled after a few seconds pause. “Okay,” he said.

Seth stared longingly at the toilet as Kevin guided him out of the room, but he didn’t fight and he got back into his corner easily enough. On the way back, he had to stop once to bend over and grab his crotch, heaving air through his nose as he struggled to contain himself. Kevin resumed rubbing his back, and when he got Seth into his corner, he took a moment to give both of his shoulders a good squeeze. “Twenty-nine minutes,” he said, “Then we’ll try the bathroom again, okay?”

Seth nodded, his eyes squeezed shut, air whistling noisily though his nose.

There was no way Seth was going to last twenty-nine more minutes. Kevin sat down again but he was doing a pretty piss-poor job of pretending to be interested in his phone. His mind was racing with plans. He’d already been planning on a bath and bed, but what was he going to do about the _carpet_ …

Seth cried out and slumped forward. He was grabbing for his crotch again, but this time it was too late. Kevin watched in wonderment as a dark stain spread on the crotch of Seth’s jeans. Rivulets of piss ran down his legs to splatter on the carpet. Seth sobbed, looking ready to collapse, and Kevin was there in an instant.

“Oh, no, buddy,” he said, tugging Seth into his arms. Seth was crying – his eyes were already red and snot was running down his nose. He took great, sobbing breaths that didn’t seem to be giving him enough air. He was _still_ pissing, so much that Kevin could actually see the source through Seth’s soaked jeans. “Shhh,” Kevin said, pulling Seth’s gross face into his shoulder. “It’s okay, we had a little accident. Everybody has accidents, shhh, don’t cry, buddy.”

If anything, Seth started to cry harder, so Kevin knocked off the platitudes in favor of rubbing Seth’s back again. Seth seemed to like that more – or at least, it made him hug Kevin back tighter – so Kevin just waited like that for a while, kneeling is a cooling puddle of Seth’s piss, holding him while he cried.

If parenthood were easy, anyone could do it, after all.

When Seth’s sobs finally eased off into shuddering, hiccupping breaths, Kevin shifted to press a kiss to Seth’s forehead. “I’m proud of you, buddy,” he said. “You tried really hard.” Kevin tugged Seth to his feet, and Seth pressed forward to cuddle his face into Kevin’s shoulder of his own free will.

“You had a lot in the tank, huh, buddy?” Kevin asked, his voice light and teasing. Seth tried to giggle, a little bit, between his sniffles. Kevin shifted, feeling his pants – damp through contact – stick to his skin. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into some dry clothes.”

Seth didn’t put up any more resistance. He seemed cleaned out and exhausted, like all the tension and shame in his body had leaked out his various holes. He let Kevin sit him on the tile floor of the bathroom without fuss and hung limp as Kevin tugged off his clothes while they waited for the bath to fill. He didn’t seem to want much of anything, other than to hide his face in Kevin’s body and be petted at all times.

Seth did start to get some of his energy back once Kevin got him in the bath, completely justifying Kevin’s decision to bring bubble bath with him. Once Kevin was done giving him a thorough scrub with a washcloth, Seth even started to have fun. Seth gave himself a bubble beard over his real one, giggling the whole time, and Kevin gave him a nice little mohawk.

“You look stu-pid,” Kevin sing-songed, fluffing the mohawk, and Seth laughed, covering his mouth in delight.

Once the bubbles had mostly melted and Seth’s skin started to turn pruney, Kevin helped him out of the bath and gave him an energetic rub down with a towel, making Seth’s hair frizz out like crazy. Seth had a ball laughing at his own reflection and then Kevin brought out the onesie he had prepared and Seth loved that, too.

Kevin held the onesie out for Seth to step into and let Seth steady himself on Kevin’s shoulders. Kevin zipped the pajamas up, careful not to snag any skin. “Snug as a bug in a rug, huh?” Kevin asked. Seth hugged himself in delight and nodded, a smile breaking out on his face.

Kevin ducked away to hurriedly change out of his own damp clothes and give himself a quick once-over with a washcloth, taking care that he could always hear Seth lying on his back on the bed, bouncing his legs carelessly. Then it was a simple matter of turning down the sheets and letting Seth squirm his way inside. Kevin tucked him in nice and tight, until just Seth’s face peeked over the blankets.

“You look like an Armenian burrito,” Kevin said, and Seth made a weird sound that seemed distantly related to a laugh.

Kevin sat down on the edge of the bed, being careful not to jar Seth out of his cozy blankets. “I want to talk a little bit about your punishments today,” Kevin said.

Seth squirmed a little, guilty or uncomfortable or both. “’Kay,” he mumbled.

Kevin carded a hand through Seth’s hair. “Do you know why I punished you?” he asked

Seth bit his lip. “’Cause I was bad,” he said, “and disobedient, and I need to learn to listen.”

Kevin shook his head. “No, I punished you because I care about you,” he said.

Seth wrinkled his nose and squirmed until he was facing Kevin more. ‘Explain,’ his face seemed to say.

“It’s important for you to eat right so you can be healthy,” Kevin said, still stroking Seth’s hair at the same sedate pace. “And it’s important for you to ask for help so that you don’t put too much stress on yourself. I want you to be healthy and happy, so I need to teach you what choices are bad and what choices are good. Understand?”

Seth’s hand had been slowly migrating to his mouth through the speech and, before answering, Seth tucked his thumb firmly between his teeth. “Mmm,” Seth said, nodding the affirmative.

“And what did you learn today?” Kevin asked.

Seth mumbled the answer around his thumb. “Take care of myself. Ask for help.”

Kevin grinned at Seth and ruffled his hair, ignoring Seth’s irritated nose wrinkle. “You sure learned a lot today, huh?” he asked.

Seth nodded again, still sucking away at his thumb. Kevin stood up and headed for his suitcase. “I think you deserve a reward for such a full day of learning, don’t you think?”

Kevin heard the bedsprings squeak as Seth shot upright. “Present?” he said, voice bathed in excitement.

Kevin rolled his eyes and moved the gift behind his back as he turned around. “Lie back down and close your eyes,” he said, and Seth rushed to obey. Fighting a small smile, Kevin sat down on the bed again. He took the present and plopped it down right in front of Seth’s face. “Okay, you can look,” he said.

Seth’s eyes flew open and he immediately gasped. “Oh,” he said, voice breathless with excitement as he picked up the stuffed Yorkie Kevin had found by chance in an airport gift store. “I _love_ it,” Seth breathed. He stared at the stuffed animal with wonder and leaned forward to give it a little peck on the snout.

Kevin smiled while he smoothed Seth’s hair away from his eyes. “I’m glad,” Kevin said. He gave Seth a last kiss on his forehead before levering himself off the bed.

“Good night, buddy,” Kevin said. Seth’s eyes were already closing. He was snuggled into the pillow with the stuffed dog clutched to his chest and his thumb lying in wait near his mouth.

“G’night,” Seth said. He already sounded half asleep, but hell, he’d had a pretty draining day.

Kevin turned the bathroom light on, so Seth wouldn’t be scared if he woke up in the middle of the night, then went to get ready for bed himself. As usual, he had been right – nobody needed someone to sit them down and look after them as bad as Seth.


End file.
